Seth hurried to the town square where the usual public battles were held daily. Being one of the number one trainers in the town his appearance was expected by all who take part in the event. Reaching the crowd of trainers and spectators he announced his presence. "I'm here! Don't start without me!" He made his way to the center, awaiting his opponent. Six small pokeballs rested on his belt. "Okay, I'm ready for whoever!" A breeze passed through his white spiked hair, leaving his opened red jacket ruffling. A dramatic looking scene!

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

"Well we'll just have to keep our eyes and ears open for 'em. Unless you wanna think about it like a detective would."

I'd hoped he'd be intrigued enough with that statement enough to ask what I meant by it. Then I would have an outlet to explain myself on. I didn't wanna talk too much. Talking too much on an empty stomach always worked out to a bad end result.

Bringing the word detective into this sort of gassed Seth up a bit. He kind of got the image of Mizu and him in long coats walking around the town trying to get the drop on these trainers. Something like Sherlock Holmes! Boy would that be something!

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

"Well I don't know if this is anything, but, the way I see it; One of the mystery trainers used a Starmie and the other a Raichu. I'm just guessin' here but wouldn't the person who used Starmie not hang around eateries with fish as their most popular dish. What if they were a water trainer? Like me! Then for sure they wouldn't come here. The other trainer might though. Raichu is an electric type and I've seen fisherman use electric hooks to draw the fish and then zap them, electrocuting them for their dinners that night! It's absolutely reprehensible!"

I started to raise my voice in volume. The loud roar of the people inside the restaurant was enough for no one to notice or pay attention to the ruckus I was making at our table. There was a bar after all and a TV that the males of the room were all huddled around. Some of the girls were sitting in their own corners talking about the new star dreamboat of a trainer on the late night programs or their nails or how loud and rude the men at the bar were. I smiled, society was at work.

"I don't know if it makes sense or not that I say that Seth, but, just keep your eyes and ears open. If you see something or someone out of the ordinary or even remotely suspicious that comes close to the description of our "culprit" then you must stop at nothing to find out if he or she is the trainer we're looking for!"

With a determined face, I held my hands in loosely clenched fists and punched it up in the air. As I did that, the food arrived and set in the places in front of us. I smiled picking up the burger I'd ordered.

"And I'm thinking right after I eat I'll get started on the trail of the other trainer. You're looking for the one with the Raichu and I will look for the trainer with the Starmie! Are we clear Seth? ^^"

Seth leaned in to listen to Mizu. Her volume was at the right level for him to hear her voice over the other customers in the restaurant. What she was saying was impressive! Using her observational skill to draw information like that. She had a good point, the one with Starmie would never eat here. But the one with the Raichu; there was a possibility he could be working with fishermen to capture fish using electricity.

"Good thinking Mizu! You are onto something! And now we have an idea of where they could be!"

As he replied to Mizu the food had arrived. Seth smiled and licked his lips before picking a piece of fried fish and taking a bite.

"Roger that! Hey, I'm very familiar with this town. There is a pier not too far from here where Water trainers play with their Pokemon and even battle. Try looking there. I'll check the dock where the fishermen work."

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

The burger was soooo delicious! I couldn't place it down. But once I was finished chewing, I smiled and nodded and replied to what he said.

"Roger that! I don't know this town very well so thank you for that direction, now for sure I'll find it! Man, this is soooooo cool! I can't wait to start this detective mission!"

Seth and I were having a great time and I was beginning to sense a great friendship coming from this one conversation we were having. It was a wonder how two totally different trainers could get along so well. I smiled and was trying to hurriedly finish my food to start on this mission! Who knew? It could take all night, possibly.

OOC: She's more level and calm like water, but, there are times where she gets fiery. Keep that in mind. ^^

Seth continued to chow down on his seafood meal, loving every moment of it! But while doing so he also nodded in agreement of how great this was going to be! They were going to be just like real detectives. To solve this mystery was going to be a challenge!.

"I wonder if those bad guys will show up again. What will we do if they come back?"

By the time he finished asking the question his food was gone. The boy was a monster when it came to eating.

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

"Well then, I guess we'll just have to travel together and become a team. That way we'll keep moving and if they do find us, we can beat them, together!"

I smiled and offered my hand to shake his. I was chewing the last bits of my burger. Although I was female, I wasn't very much like one. I had an appetite and could eat when really hungry; This was one of those times. I smiled and made eye contact with him. It seemed we were becoming great friends.

OOC: One more post from you and then a time skip like 30 minutes later when they're beginning their search?

"Good idea! So when they do find us we give them a battle they will never forget!"

Seth was in the moment! He climbed onto the table and raised his fist into the air. Deep inside he knew that together they were a tough team. The bartender caught sight of Seth standing on the table, along with everyone else in the restaurant, and gave the boy a good scolding.

"What do you think this is!? Get ooffff that table kid!!"

He realized what he had done and jumped off, scratching his head in embarrassment. When everyone returned to what they were doing earlier Seth took out some money and set it on the table. That's when he noticed Mizu's hand. A handshake to begin a wonderful friendship. Seth grabbed her hand and shook it. He looked into her eyes and what he saw was determination. Waves of the ocean crashing onto the shore.

"Let's do this!"

"I'm sorry about that. I got carried away. Hehe."

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

I smiled, laughing at his 'out of control' movements. He was just so hyped with energy. Anyway, we were done eating and it was a great meal. Now it was onto searching for those mysterious trainers.

"Alrighty! So what do you say we get started on searching for those trainers? I guess I'll start heading to the pier. You search around this place and see what you can find. If you need me, you'll know where to find me."

I winked and looked into his eyes. The fires and sparks of determination burned through them as well. Then I was off, waving him goodbye and heading for the pier.

He grinned and then gave her a thumbs up before running off for the dock. It wasn't too far from the restaurant so Seth wouldn't take forever reaching the destination. While he jogged alongside the water he could hear the sounds of horns coming from the boats, he was already close.

"Alright! Let's see if I can get some info out of these guys."

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

With that I ran off to the pier to check for someone, anyone that might seem familiar. I saw several water trainers battling and playing with their pokemon but none that seemed familiar so far. I sighed, continuing on my path, looking carefully for a face.

Meanwhile, over by the dock there were a few fisherman, fishing for some sort of fish to have for dinner that night. But there was one lonely boat in the midst of the body of water. The figure was shadowy and seemed to be a little ways away. It was the outline of a person and a pokemon, from wherever Seth could be standing. There was a docked boat. Could this mysterious figure be the trainer from before?

The silhouette that carried the characteristics of a human asked. The Raichu made a noise, the cry of its name, and nodded to his trainer. They were out on the ship, looking down at the water, thinking that they might be able to catch some fish or water pokemon. The mysterious trainer saw a Goldeen jump into the air, and then there was a sudden flash by the command of the mysterious boy with the Raichu.

"Raichu, use thunderbolt!"

Raichu did as told and shocked the fish. It dropped into the water, where, the trainer then raised a hand holding am empty pokeball. He threw it, and within minutes the Goldeen became his.

Now there was no doubt! This had to be one of the mysterious trainers. Seth was facing a boy and a Raichu; the exact same two that had contributed to defeating the bad guys. He picked up his pace and then when he was close to the docked boat made a leap from the land onto the fishery boat.

"I finally found you! Ha! You're one of the trainers that defeated those losers back there a while ago!"

Seth grabbed onto the brim of the cap and pulled it a bit down, giving the two a smirk. There was no telling what that mysterious trainer would do now. All Seth knew was that he was a great trainer.

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

The trainer stood ready with a pokeball in his hands and returned the same smirk that Seth had. The mysterious trainer was a little bit taller than him. The Raichu, sitting on the floor, looked up at the trainer and then at Seth, ready.

"Cuz if you are, I'm game. But I'd rather do it somewhere else other than this boat."

He smiled and even let out a laugh. That showed he was friendly. The smaller amounts of light that were present shined on his face some. It revealed a brown eye, looking right at Seth.

Man, a battle against this guy would be pretty sweet. There were some factors going against Seth though. He didn't have all of his Pokemon, two were unconscious and another two were in his storage. All he had was Lucario and Charizard.

"A battle? Heh! Alright with me! I only have two Pokemon on me. I forgot to go the Poke Center to heal and get my others. But I'm down to go up against you!"

He tightly held onto the strap of his backpack and then chuckled. Battling on the boat would be a bad idea. With powerful attacks coming from the Pokemon one missed move would damage the boat.

"Good idea! And by now my friend should be onto your partner! Haha!"

-----------

Water trainers were playing with all type of water Pokemon. It was sort of a playground for these kind of Pokemon. But further down the boardwalk of the pier there was a very large fountain, the source of the water for the play area. A female seated herself at the fountain and was bathing a Starmie with the clear water. It's gem glowed brightly in a sign of happiness.

"You like the water don't you Starmie? You did a good job fending off the Team Rocket. This is your reward."

She smiled and cupped water in her hands, allowing it to drop onto the Starmie's body. Other trainers and their Pokemon played around the fountain joyfully. It was a good environment.

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

The two trainers started on their way back to land to have the battle that they'd planned to have. Both were pretty excited. Whereas, I was still searching by the pier. Where could that other trainer be? Suddenly, my eyes caught sight of a fountain and a mysterious trainer sitting over by it playing with a Starmie. Could it be the same Starmie as before? I quickly ran over to the trainer, confronting her, since, from her form, I could tell she was female.

"Hey. You're the one that was at the arena today, you battled Team Rocket and got rid of them, aren't you?"

Seth walked over to the railing and leaned on it. As the boat returned to the dock he looked at the water. So many fish swam in the water. There was even an Octillery that surfaced and looked at the boy. Battling this guy was the only thing on his mind.

---------

The mysterious female looked over at Mizu. Her hair was down in the style that adults normally wear. Her eyes were a light turquoise blue. She was wearing a white draping over everything, sort of a "cape like" jacket and underneath, gloves fit for a trainer. They were a light aqua blue color. Her shirt was a yellowish color and she wore jeans as well; a jean jacket over it. Her satchel rested on the floor.

"Yes, I am one of the trainers that defeated them. You must be one of the trainers that was in the middle of the battle. The owner of that cute little Manaphy."

She smiled and moved a strand of hair that dropped over her face behind her ear. Starmie turned towards Mizu. It's gem glowed brightly, as if it received energy from the girl.

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

"Alright since it seems you used up your pokemon at the battle, I'll go a little bit easier on you. I see you have 2 pokeballs, so does a 2 on 2 match sound okay, bud?"

The mysterious trainer and Seth were now on land, stepping onto it from where the boat dropped them off. The mysterious trainer, obviously male by his body type and voice, smirked as he pulled out a pokeball attached to his brown belt. He wore black jeans and the top was a white shirt with a vest over it. His brown eyes now showing in the moonlight, but the black "cape like" jacket he wore over everything concealed most of his identity. Then he laughed, he was a bit immature however tall he was.

"I know! If I win, then you get to tell me who you are and why you came in search for me. But if you win then I have to reveal everything about me to you and why I was at your match. Doesn't that sound like fun?!"

The boy smiled as he enlarged the pokeball in his hands. The one of his hands that was showing had a green glove on it, fit for a pokemon trainer. Who was this guy?

------------------------------------------------

"Well, yes, I do own the Manaphy but that's got nothing to do with why I'm here. I mean... who are you and why were you at the match? That's what I really wanna know. Such amazing power and skill from your Starmie alone, not to mention with that other mysterious trainer. Normally two trainers can't work well together when they don't know each other, right?"

My cerulean eyes scanned over her in an attempt to try and decipher who she was and why she was here. I was trying to get answers from her by asking her, although a bit forwardly. But that was me, the ever forward and sometimes, ill-mannered tomboy. ^^'' Nonetheless, I awaited her response in anxiousness. It was so exciting to finally find the trainer!

"A two on two is what I was hoping for actually. It gives me a chance to see how well my Pokemon perform together."

He chuckled and then grabbed onto his two Pokeballs on the belt of his satchel. After enlarging in his hand he threw them out, releasing Lucario and Charizard. They stood beside each other; the Charizard towering over Lucario. If this guy was good at performing great combinations with strangers, that is if the other was a stranger, then how good was he with his own Pokemon? Seth would wonder.

"Alright! I'll be sure to try my best!"

----------------

"I'll tell you what. If you beat me in a battle I'll tell you everything you want to know. Does that sound good, Mizu?"

She smiled and reached for her satchel, opening it and taking out a Pokeball. It enlarged in her hand afterwards. It was already clear that the young girl before her had used two Pokemon up in a battle where only four could be used. The Starmie jumped out of the water and made a cry. As for the mysterious trainer, she just held onto the ball, waiting to see Mizu's Pokemon first if she accepted.

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

"Alrighty then. I see you have a Charizard and a Lucario, hm? You must be really cool to have caught and trained both of those pokemon. As for me, I choose you Raichu and Typhlosion!"

The boy threw the ball and it materialized into a healthy looking Typhlosion who flared his fire for a moment and then sunk back into a position behind the tinier Raichu. The trainer smirked as he watched the other two pokemon and Seth carefully. However, it wasn't long till that smirk turned into a friendly smile.

"Alright! Let's do this guys!"

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"You want a pokemon battle? Alright, well, then, it'll be an honor to battle someone like you. But ummmm, how do you know my name... miss?"

I blushed at the softer tone being used in the female trainer's voice. It was very soothing to an extent. But nonetheless, I was ready. I smirked and grabbed one pokeball from where I kept my pokeballs and released the two I was going to use in battle.

"GO Manaphy and Golduck! Let's give it our best shot!"

Both the pokemon came out to battle. Manaphy floated over to the battlefield and Golduck materialized from the light that shone from the pokeball. The smirk turned to a smile and I hyped up.

"Aha! Thanks! I've had these two since they were Rhialou and Charmander. I'm happy to have them as my friends. And I see that you have a Typhlosion. Nice!"

Seth gave him a thumbs up and stepped a few meters back to make some distance. Charizard and Lucario followed Seth and then spread about four feet apart from each other. Charizard locked eyes with Typhlosion. A battle between two fire types meant business! As for Lucario, he simply stood there with his eyes closed, channeling aura.

"Ready when you are!"

-----------------

"Mhm. Oh, as for how I know you're name. I overheard your introduction with the boy you were battling earlier when I was standing in the crowd."

Her smile widened. To face Mizu was also an honor for her. This girl was the trainer of a legendary Pokemon, she was going to be a challenge. She threw the enlarged Pokeball out and from it came an Empoleon. The Pokemon stepped forward to stand next to her partner, Starmie.

"Okay, let's see how this goes."

_________________“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune's spite; revive from ashes and rise.” - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra